WRIT 1702 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Essay, Jaden Smith, Rogue One
WRIT 1702
November 29, 2017
Beginnings, Portfolio 2, Writing a Scene
Beginnings
● Everything that we need to know before we get to the evidence
● First line is the idea, in a very general kind of way
● Next line finds all of the details (4 of them)
● Final line, the thesis
● Get rid of the “list” thesis, we have a list of themes earlier in the beginning
● Think about where are your themes, and where is your thesis
● No “this essay will discuss” or play by play
● You don’t need to announce what you will do next: just do it.
●Do not
address the audience
● Avoid obvious dictionary definitions - one of the most cliche ways to start a
paper
● If it’s essential to have a definition, put it in your own words
● The beginning moves from a general statement, to a focused, specific
approach (thesis)
● Hook: an interesting or controversial sentence to keep the audience reading
Overview of Portfolio 2
● New section of the course is on Life Writing
● Girl, Interrupted
○ The movie is terrible; it has a completely different preferred reading
than the book
○ Quick read
● Compose a familiar essay
● Use an example from your life to provide advice to a wide, literate, audience.
Use culturally significant thinkers to move your thought, demonstrate how you
solved the problem.
● 2.1 Compose a scene, introduce your idea
● 2.2 Extend or complicate a theme using a good source and The Pattern
The Familiar Essay
● The hallmark of the familiar essay is that it is auto-biographical, but also about
the world - Ann Fadiman
● Provides exposition (explanation) and narration (storytelling).
● The problem has to affect all of us - what would everybody like to know the
answer to
○ Every human being has to wrestle with identity (who you are)
○ How do you deal with a death of a loved one (grief)
Document Summary
Everything that we need to know before we get to the evidence. First line is the idea, in a very general kind of way. Next line finds all of the details (4 of them) Get rid of the list thesis, we have a list of themes earlier in the beginning. Think about where are your themes, and where is your thesis. No this essay will discuss or play by play. You don"t need to announce what you will do next: just do it. Avoid obvious dictionary definitions - one of the most cliche ways to start a paper. If it"s essential to have a definition, put it in your own words. The beginning moves from a general statement, to a focused, specific approach (thesis) Hook: an interesting or controversial sentence to keep the audience reading. New section of the course is on life writing. The movie is terrible; it has a completely different preferred reading than the book.
